It is small Kentucky County
facing a big controversy.
Leaders in the Nelson County School
District have proposed a new
vision for the district's future.
It includes merging the districts,
Middle and high schools at two campuses
and opinions on its purpose are mixed.
Parents started calling me last month
asking me to look into it tonight.
My report comes from a county divided.
Looking back through Nelson
County history, controversy
surrounding schools is nothing new.
Will talk about history,
history does repeat itself.
Former Bardstown Mayor and Nelson
County historian Dixie Hibbs
points to a proposal from the 1960s
or 1962. Bloomfield Haskell State
Education Board was telling us
you've got to consolidate their
high schools and Bloomfield said,
no, we're not. We're going to
fight you to the end. Parents in
Bloomfield felt cheated.
They wanted their children
school to be close to home,
but the move would put Bloomfield
kids in Bardstown about 13 miles away. I
think they felt like they've
lost control of everything.
Now 50 years later, for some that
familiar feeling has returned its
concern. It is fear
none of it has really made any
sense to any of us. There's just so
many things that can go wrong with
the issue was first proposed
in April of this year.
Superintendent West.
Bradley presented at a Nelson
County Board of Education
special meeting.
He called it a conversation starter
and it was the first time parents,
students and staff heard his
idea to combine the district's
middle and high schools into two
buildings called community campuses.
Many parents applaud the
plan writing and emails.
I am one of the parents who are for change.
I have come to the conclusion I want
more for my son and all children.
Another parent told me she believed
it would be a game changer for
the children in the smaller
schools despite multiple requests.
Those parents wouldn't talk to me
on camera, but another side.
Superintendent Bradley is
definitely an excellent salesman.
I'm not sure how much of
an educator he is eager
to speak out. I
don't feel that any of the questions that
we have asked have been honestly answered.
Nicole Millbern lives in Bloomfield.
She has three children in the district,
the middle school in her town
is the one that would close.
She says she's worried about
what will happen to the building
and the town left behind,
and I also feel that.
If this merger does go into place,
it is not only going to affect
our children and what they're
going to have to go through,
but it's also going to affect the
entire community, our businesses.
Bloomfield will become a ghost town,
and other parents.
Those all students are not
treated fairly in this district,
says his concern is for his son.
A special needs child who he
claims was left out of a planned
built on high achieving students
public school. You can't pick
and choose which children
you you won't hate, nothing.
That's what's happened.
With milk, any school staff
have also raised concerns.
No current teachers would speak to
us on camera, but a retired educator
volunteered to be their voice. My
colleagues. They could not
have their own opinion.
It was brought to them pretty suddenly
and I feel like they feel helpless.
She says many educators have
decided to leave the district in
response to plans for the merger
and the superintendent's change in
curriculum, which he says
aligns with the overall quote.
Vision for the district.
We filed an open records request looking
into staffing changes according to
data provided by the District 59 staff.
Members resigned during the 2020-2021 school
year compared to just 12 the year before.
Some resignations included letters
describing the reason for the decision.
One teacher wrote,
it is my hope that Nelson County
schools will start to listen to
the highly qualified teachers they
have in their schools and will
start to value their opinions.
But it isn't only staff deciding to leave.
Parents are also pulling their children.
For me, it's not about the merger.
For me, it's about what is fundamentally
wrong with education and Nelson County.
The rigor and the academic achievement
and curricular structure is not being
taken seriously in Nelson County.
Vanessa Hurst says she withdrew her
children from Nelson County schools
because she felt they were spending
too much time on projects that did
not align with core curriculum.
A change put in place when West Bradley
took over as Superintendent during a final
meeting with her 5th graders teacher.
Hurst says it became clear
just how behind the child was,
but the teacher afterwards slipped me a post.
It note with all the things that
he was locking for this year,
knowing that we were going to a
different school this coming year and
I was going to have to tutor my own
son at home over the summer to catch
up to where he was supposed to be.
When you asked students about the
plans for the district, they say they
see teacher concern and it rubs off.
They're not taking former teachers thoughts.
The current teachers that work with
them can't speak their opinions.
Rosalie Brown took it upon herself.
To bring her concerns to the
Superintendent at a school
board meeting said that's a great question.
And went on from there,
asked for the next person.
I felt like he thought I was
incompetent and didn't think
that I was being serious.
I knew what I was talking about.
So what's at the heart of this vision?
What's behind the creators idea
and why is it the best choice
for the district's children?
We went to the source the Superintendent,
to ask some of these questions that staff
and parents tell us haven't been answered.
Superintendent W Bradley wouldn't answer
us in emails or during a phone call.
He wouldn't agree to meet,
but instead sent this statement.
Which reads in part we are excited to
continue to expand learning opportunities
for students across Nelson County.
The short statement didn't answer
any of our questions,
so we went to a school board
meeting to ask him in person.
Alistair with WHS 11 hi, good to see you.
I'd like to ask you a couple of
questions about the planning division,
sorry. I'm sorry I share my
statement with you on email.
Or would you just tell us why
you think it's in the best
interest of the kids?
Bradley would not answer our questions
or questions asked by parents
during the public comment session.
Instead, he offered up a document.
Why do you think that this will
help the children of Nelson County?
He sent the two page
infographic to my email. And
without any answers, the impromptu interview
was done. So
what will this chapter look like
50 years from now? Written into
the history of Nelson County,
the people will look back and say,
man, that was quite a decision he made.
And I know people didn't like it.
But look where we are, Dixie Hibbs hopes
it's a happy ending after all.
The plan to merge the schools
still has a ways to go.
Currently on step three of eight.
If you have a story you'd like
the focus team to look into,
you can contact us at focus at whas11.com.